Rory O'Brady

Rory O'Brady (2 October 1932-5 June 2013), born Peter Roger Casement Brady, was the president of the Sinn Fein political party from 1970 to 1983 and from 1987 to 2009, as well as a leader of the IRA Army Council.

Biography
Rory O'Brady was born on 2 October 1932 in Longford, County Longford, Ireland, the son of an Irish Republican Army volunteer. O'Brady became a teacher of the Irish language, and he became a member of Sinn Fein in 1950. In 1954, he was appointed to the IRA Army Council, the governing body of the Irish separatist movement. O'Brady planned IRA attacks from free Ireland into Northern Ireland, targeting the British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary, among other unionist forces. From October 1958 to May 1959, he served as Chief-of-Staff of the IRA, and he abandoned the mainstream Sinn Fein party when it decided to enter British politics. O'Brady became a member of the army council of the Provisional Irish Republican Army during "The Troubles", and he stated that he would like to see a phased withdrawal of British forces from Northern Ireland to prevent chaos from breaking out. From 1987 to 2009, he led Republican Sinn Fein, and he retired in 2009. O'Brady died in 2013.